Travel Startup Mozio Aims to Solves the 'Final Mile Problem'

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Name: Mozio

Quick Pitch: Mozio is a budding travel site that handles all your ground transportation needs.

Genius Idea: Find all modes of ground transportation from your airport to your end destination on one site.

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World traveler David Litwak has been to 65 countries, and has lived in Paris and Estonia. And while there are plenty of travel sites on the web, ?there?s really no true travel search engines out there, only flight search engines,? he says.

From that realization, travel site Mozio was born.

Litwak and his UC Berkeley fraternity brother Joseph Metzinger began creating Mozio in July 2011. In the long run, their ?grand vision? for Mozio is to build a comprehensive travel search engine. But for now they?re focusing on what is commonly referred to as the ?final mile problem.? How does one book transportation from the airport to their hotel or lodgings?

?It?s hard to compete with Expedia or Kayak,? he said. So Litwak and his team developed a smart plan: to build-up their user base in a segment of travel booking with less competition ? ground transportation, whether bus, shuttle or limo.

Litwak tells Mashable that, during his travels, he?d have 20 tabs open to find out how to get from one place to another via train, cab and bus. So, Mozio is tackling this problem first by creating a comprehensive search engine for ground transportation.

?We?re not interested in re-inventing the wheel, what we?re interested in is not having people have to check six or seven sites,? he said.

They?re working on forging partnerships with big OTAs (online travel agencies) to plug those sites? ground transportation data into their system. But they also want to include the smaller ground transportation companies that sometimes get overlooked on other sites. From small mom-and-pop shuttle services near city airports to Uber and Limos.com, Litwak said they want customers to be able to find the best price.

The team behind Mozio has been doing a lot of testing to ensure a smooth user experience.

?We?re trying to simulate the kind of scatterbrain-ness people experience when they?re searching for travel deals,? he said.

By the end of the year, Litwak said they want to have the top 40 airports in the country in the Mozio system of ground transportation. Mozio will be released in private beta on Aug. 14. You can visit the site to sign up. The Mozio team is also working on a mobile app. They gave this screenshot to Mashable:

Currently, Mozio is in the midst of raising its seed round of funding. So far, the chairman of Orbitz has invested.

Eventually, they?ll develop the ability to book ground transportation from Mozio, but currently Litwak says that?s not their first priority.

The Mozio team is based in San Francisco and consists of cofounders Litwak and Metzinizer, plus two fulltime employees and one parttimer. Right now, they?re looking to hire a front-end coder and designer.

What do you think of Mozio? Would you use it to book your ground transportation? Tell us in the comments.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, nazdravie

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The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft?BizSpark, a startup program that gives software startups three-year access to Microsoft software development tools, marketing visibility to help promote their business and a connection to the?BizSpark?ecosystem, giving them access to investors, advisors and mentors. There is no cost to join, so if your startup is privately owned, less than three years old and generates less than U.S. $1M in annual revenue, sign up today.

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/08/08/mozio/

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Wisdom Wednesdays: There is Power in Promise for Relationships ...

by Phil Meinzen

The Critical Importance of Making a Promise

God, in Christ, made an eternal promise.? The promise is faithful to the love that God has for Creation.? As people who are created in the image of God, we bear within us promise for others and the opportunity to make a promise to others, so that through us, everything we do might be a blessing to help others flourish to be all that they were created to be.

In today?s world, we have more information available to us than at any other time in history.? We also have more opportunities to give and get involved in ministries, so it is more critical than ever that ministry leaders learn to communicate with clarity and in a memorable way.

Even though we live during an unprecedented time of change in technological communication, the most powerful communication is still making and keeping a promise.? It is what makes relationships work and it is still the clearest way to cut through the clutter and create a relationship with someone. ?Promise communications is how God communicates and maintains a relationship with us.

Yet in our communications and promoting our ministries, we often make it difficult for people to understand what promise we are making to them.? We tend to talk instead about what we do, or what we provide, without communicating the impact we have in their world because we are extending God?s promise.

Can I Trust You?

Ministry leaders should consider how to uncover a promise that their organization can make.??Establish a platform to create communications that are compelling, differentiating and true and cause relationships to form and strengthen.

Compelling is important because it causes people to act. ?Differentiating is important because it answers the question, ?Why you and not someone else??? True is important so that when people engage with your organization based on?your communication, they find their experience to be in line with the promise made.

It is important that you don?t simply try to describe your promise.? Uncovering the promise requires that you listen to the audiences you serve to hear how they are thinking about you.

A process designed to help ministry organizations communicate their mission from the audience point of view results in the development of a plan for communication of a promise that only you can make ? one that is compelling, differentiating and true.

For example, take a Lutheran school with a 10 percent higher college entrance rate than the public schools in the area.? With no promise communicated, area parents may not be aware that the Lutheran school offers a staff that nurtures a child with the same values that parents desire, where hope encourages the child to live their faith with love to help students flourish.? Also, what?about promises of future success that will allow these children to fulfil God?s promise through service?

There?s Power in Promise for Relationships

A strong promise will move people toward action and help them have greater confidence in their investment and partnership.? It will result in an increased response from audience groups and a focused strategy for operational action centered on the key relationship strengths of the organization.

The process to ?Uncover the Promise? is one that, when introduced, can help your organization discover the most powerful keys to communicate and the focus that your ministry messages, relationships and strategies will resonate with as you learn to build consistency and clarity on the experience of your promise by others.

Your mission tells them what you will be and do for others.? The promise communicates the impact your will have in their world.? It is the ?so what? factor that people are ultimately seeking.

Phil Meinzen is Director of Training, Consulting & Mentoring with the LCMS Foundation.? Contact him at Philip.Meinzen@lfnd.org.

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Source: http://goalde.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/wisdom-wednesdays-there-is-power-in-promise-for-relationships/

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Stanchart Kenya's H1 pretax profit surges 87 pct

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Standard Chartered Bank of Kenya nearly doubled its pretax profit for the first-half to 6.5 billion shillingsafter its net interest income rose and as it emerged from the previous period's toxic bonds trading position.

The bank, controlled by Standard Chartered Plc, said its net interest income rose to 7.32 billion shillings from 4.52 billion shillings previously, sending its pretax earnings higher by 87 percent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stanchart-kenyas-h1-pretax-profit-surges-87-pct-124738087--finance.html

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What are the benefits of financial risk management to my company ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://answers.apostoliccm.com/2012/08/what-are-the-benefits-of-financial-risk-management-to-my-company/

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Rains ease after flooding kills 11 in Philippines

Residents are evacuated by rescuers in Marikina, east of Manila, Philippines, Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012. Relentless rains submerged half of the sprawling Philippine capital, triggered a landslide that killed eight people and sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/John Javellana)

Residents are evacuated by rescuers in Marikina, east of Manila, Philippines, Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012. Relentless rains submerged half of the sprawling Philippine capital, triggered a landslide that killed eight people and sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/John Javellana)

Filipino volunteers dig for survivors where four homes collapsed in a landslide in Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. Relentless rains submerged half of the sprawling Philippine capital, triggered a landslide that killed several people and sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/John Javellana)

A resident wearing a shirt with a picture of US President Barack Obama carries a chair as he wades along a flooded area in Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012. Relentless rains submerged half of the sprawling Philippine capital, triggered a landslide that killed eight people and sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents wade along flooded roads in Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012. Relentless rains submerged half of the sprawling Philippine capital, triggered a landslide that killed several people and sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Filipinos wade along a flooded area in Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines, Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012. Relentless rains submerged half of the sprawling Philippine capital, triggered a landslide that killed eight people and sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday to rescue and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) ? Widespread flooding that killed at least 11 people, battered a million others and paralyzed the Philippine capital began to ease Wednesday as cleanup and rescue efforts focused on a large number of distressed residents, some still marooned on their roofs.

Government forecasters said the monsoon rains that overflowed major dams and rivers in Manila and surrounding provinces would gradually abate and lead to sunny weather on Thursday after 12 days of relentless downpours.

The deluge was the worst since 2009, when hundreds died in rampaging flash floods.

"We're still on a rescue mode," said Benito Ramos, who heads the government's main disaster-response agency. "Floods are receding in many areas but people are still trapped on their roofs."

Ramos said the massive flooding turned half of Manila into "a water world" on Monday evening and into Tuesday. Eleven died, including nine in a landslide in Quezon City, a Manila suburb, while 1.2 million people were affected. They included 783,000 who fled from their inundated homes in two days of intense rains and flooding that started late Sunday.

Rescue efforts shifted into high gear Wednesday, with more than 130 emergency crews from two provinces reaching the capital city of 12 million people to help their overwhelmed teams, including police and army troops.

Manila was drenched with more than half of a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours. A storm off eastern China that intensified the southwest monsoon moved away and the weather started improving Wednesday, according to government forecaster Glaiza Escullar.

"We may see the sun tomorrow," Escullar said.

TV footage showed rescuers dangling on ropes to bring children and other residents to safety from flooded houses across the city. Many residents trapped in their homes called radio and TV stations desperately asking for help.

"We need to be rescued," Josephine Cruz told DZMM radio as water rose around her house in Quezon City, saying she was trapped in her two-story house with 11 other people, including her 83-year-old mother. "We can't get out because the floodwaters are now higher than people."

ABC-CBN TV network reported receiving frantic calls from people whose relatives were trapped in the deluge, many without food since Tuesday morning. They included a pregnant woman with a baby who wanted to be rescued from a roof and about 55 people who scrambled to the third floor of a Quezon City house as water rose below them.

Vehicles and even heavy trucks struggled to navigate water-clogged roads, where hundreds of thousands of commuters were stranded. Many cars were stuck in the muddy waters.

The government suspended work and classes Tuesday but offices opened Wednesday. Traffic was still light as workers began cleaning roads from debris, heaps and trash and fallen trees.

In 2009, massive flooding spawned by a typhoon devastated Manila and surrounding areas, killing hundreds. The state weather bureau said that the current flooding was not as severe.

___

Associated Press writers Hrvoje Hranjski, Teresa Cerojano and Oliver Teves contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-08-07-Philippines-Floods/id-e50e5291a1474a8d8c1842598a141ea6

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Chicken or coffee? When companies get political

Tami Chappell / Reuters

Ally Wells and Heather Michelle (R), participate during the nationwide "kiss-in" at a Chick-Fil-A restaurant in the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia.

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

Today, an American branding war is being waged: chicken vs. coffee, waffle fries vs. skinny lattes.

It's Chick-fil-A vs. Starbucks -? although neither company is openly participating.

Based on recent social stands taken by their corporate leaders ? including Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy?s public support for traditional marriage ? the two companies are on the front lines of a battle between two distinct groups of consumers: supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage.

An organized campaign ? not sponsored by Starbucks ? sent gay-marriage backers into Starbucks stores across the nation Tuesday. Many posted photos of purchased beverages, along with pro-cause comments, on a Facebook page called National Marriage Equality Day. Images there include one photo showing a Starbucks cup in the foreground, tagged as ?equality,? with a Chick-fil-A sign in the background, tagged ?discrimination.?

Kacee Hayes

An organized campaign ? not sponsored by Starbucks ? sent gay-marriage backers into Starbucks stores across the nation on Tuesday.

?I just thought, today, it was kind of a nice thing to support Starbucks, to give back to a company that supports equality and gay marriage,? said Kacee Hayes, who snapped the image after making her purchase at Atlanta Starbucks. Last month, she married her partner, Suzanne Salak-Hayes.

Indeed, even though many consumer-facing companies try to avoiding political controversy, the business landscape is becoming crowded with companies ?picking a lane? amid cultural debates, either doing it quietly or with some fanfare.

Seattle-based Starbucks made its move in January, when it joined several other Pacific Northwest companies in supporting marriage equality legislation in Washington State. Starbucks took the position, said company spokesman Zack Hutson, ?through the lens of humanity and our commitment to embracing diversity.?

?Starbucks has many constituents and, from time to time, we will make decisions that are consistent with our values and heritage but may be inconsistent with the views of a particular group," Hutson said.

Is it smart business for companies to choose sides on a divisive social or political issue? Don?t such overt decisions alienate broad segments of the public or, maybe, even taint the brand for some buyers?

?Brands are about the business, so I always say, don?t get distracted to your left or your right,? said Rob Frankel, a Los Angeles-based branding expert who calls "cause marketing" a gimmick.

?Because ad agencies, PR agencies, and (internal) marketing departments have no idea what to do with their company, they look for these gimmicks,? said Frankel, who has consulted with Disney and Burger King. ?And very often political, philanthropic, social things become the darlings because these people can?t come up with any other idea to promote the actual business.?

But fellow branding expert Karen Post argues the opposite. Because today?s brands are less contrived and ?more human,? she said, it?s wise for a company to look at its core values, take stock of current social issues then ?pick a lane.?

Top Talkers: The fast-food chicken chain Chick-fil-A has found itself at the center of an ideological battle due to comments made by chain president, Dan Cathy, regarding his beliefs on same-sex marriage. The Morning Joe panel discusses Cathy's comments, why they should come as no surprise and why protesters and Cathy both have a right to free speech.

?It?s important for brands to be authentic,? said Post, who said she has advised Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America and Pepsi, among others.

?Whether you agree with what (Chick-Fil-A CEO Cathy) said or not, he wasn?t hateful about it. He just said this was what he thinks. But his organization welcomes all people. And if you look at their sales the day they had their 'Appreciation Day' (Aug. 2). they had an all-time best sales day. So it kind of worked in their favor.?

Here are some other companies that have courted controversy:

Target
The Minneapolis-based retail giant donated $150,000 to a Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate who opposes gay marriage. In an email, Chief Executive Officer Gregg Steinhafel later assured employees at Target headquarters that the company?s support for the gay community is "unwavering."

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Should corporations support any social issues?

?J.C. Penny
The retail chain used an ad for Father's Day that featured a gay Texas couple and their two children.?The company also uses openly gay?talk show host Ellen Degeneres as a spokeswoman, which has angered some conservative groups.

Citi?
The financial giant is listed as a ?Platinum Sponsor? for the Human Rights Campaign, which works ?for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equal Rights,? according to its website.

Amazon
Founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, recently made a $2.5 million donation to the advocacy coalition, which supports same-sex marriage in the state of Washington.?

JTM Food Group?
The company delivers prepackaged meals to schools, restaurants as well as to the military and government organizations. Trucks used to make those deliveries carry pro-life mottos and photos of babies.

Virgin Atlantic Airways?
Owner Richard Branson teamed up with a condom company to distribute 100,000 free condoms to clinics in South Africa to help slow the HIV epidemic.

Curves?
Gary Heavin, founder of women-only fitness chain, has written checks to outfits promoting abstinence-only programs for teens. Heavin also withdrew his funding of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and its Race for the Cure?because the foundation supports Planned Parenthood.

Ben & Jerry?s ?
The Vermont ice cream maker is known for its support of liberal causes, even though it is now owned by consumer-products giant Unilever. The Ben & Jerry's website?expresses ?our deepest admiration to all of you who have initiated the non-violent Occupy Wall Street Movement and to those around the country who have joined in solidarity.?

Frankel says Ben & Jerry's outspoken political views are a "huge, huge mistake.?

?What do I advise companies? I can give you one fundamental: Stick to your knittin?,? he said.

?These guys are absolutely shooting from the hip," Frankel said, referring to cause marketers in general. "They have no long-term brand plan and that?s why they essentially resemble anything out of the Three Stooges than anything else.?

Post disagrees. ?Controversy and scandal often does generate priceless publicity suddenly on companies that have been on the down low," she said.

"Besides, anyone is living in la-la land if they think they can please every consumer on every given day. And today, because we have so many different channels and real-time media technology, the volume of these conversations is so much louder.

?As long as you?ve done your homework and your math and you know the group you are supporting is big enough to support your business, it is OK to choose a cause and build your essence around that.?

More money and business news:

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The fast-food chain has not released all of its sales numbers but did say that it had a 'record-setting day' on Wednesday when customers came out to show their support of the restaurant and the company president's views on same-sex marriage. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

Source: http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/08/13165788-chicken-or-coffee-gay-marriage-or-no-when-companies-take-sides?lite

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Google Is Just Full of Crap [Watch This]

You know what happens when Google announces a new product. People freak out. People claim Google is changing the world. People praise its openness and don't be evil mantra and that the company is just SO good. And then you know what happens when that actual Google product comes out? No one cares. It doesn't change anything except add to the growing landfill of crappy products. In short, Google promises a lot but rarely deliver. Or as College Humor puts it in this video, Google is full of crap. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Zx-MnGma0HA/google-is-just-full-of-crap

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